2010-11 NBA Season: Former Minnesota Timberwolves Reserve Point Guard: Sundiata Gaines

UPDATE: According to Ken Berger of CBS Sports the Timberwolves have reportedly offered a trade package—that includes Flynn to the Philadelphia 76ers for Andre Iguodala.  The Sixers have stated that they want an impact player for Andre, not a salary-dump, as such, Flynn will not be enough for the TWolves to snag Andre Iguodala.

The 6th pick in the 2009 NBA Draft Jonny Flynn is reportedly on the trade block and the Knicks may be looking to acquire the 2nd-year vet.

Flynn’s numbers took a major hit last season after missing a good portion of the season to recover from offseason hip surgery.

With Ricky Rubio now coming to Minnesota and clearly the point guard of the future for the Wolves and Luke Ridnour as the probable backup next season, Flynn is now expendable.

The New York Knicks have had preliminary discussions with Minnesota, but no formal deal is in place as the Knicks debate whether or not Flynn would be a viable backup to Chauncey Billups for at least one season.

Frank Isola of the New York Daily News states that New York guard Toney Douglas would likely be the player traded for Flynn.  However, Isola points out that Douglas is coming off major shoulder surgery, which may make him hard to deal.

This obviously isn’t the first rumor we’ve heard regarding the Minnesota Timberwolves’ point guard Jonny Flynn, he’s been linked to the Phoenix Suns & Toronto Raptors among others in the past.

Stay tuned for the news, information and updates on your Minnesota Timberwolves all year round.  Thanks for reading and GO WOLVES!

As we get closer and closer to the 2011 NBA Draft, the rumor mill continues to churn out a lot of potential trades and stories.

The most recent feature our Minnesota Timberwolves and our friends to the North the Toronto Raptors.

The reported trade features two 2009 Draft picks: DeMar DeRozan & Jonny Flynn.  The trade would send Flynn & the #2 pick to the Raptors for DeMar DeRozan & the #5 pick.

There are updates flying both ways however, one group of people say there’s no way that deal could/would ever happen.  While the other says it’s practically a done deal and will almost certainly happen.  The important thing to remember is that these are rumors and nothing else, until there’s a press conference called to make any announcement, these are nothing more than RUMORS!

However, if it did go through, the Wolves would be acquiring a player they passed on in the 2009 Draft, for a player (Flynn) that many have begun to label BUST.  The Raptors are reportedly very high on Derrick Williams, which is obviously the reason they’re mentioned in these rumors.

With the #5 pick that the Wolves would then acquire, if Enes Kanter is still available (most mock drafts have him going #4 to the Cavaliers) he’d be the likely pick-up.

With Jonny Flynn, the Raptors would have their point guard of the future.  Flynn would most likely improve, being injury-free and out of the triangle offense, with a little more freedom.

DeRozan would certainly bring some solidity to the shooting guard position for Minnesota.  He’d also bring a whole lot of athleticism and scoring ability (17.2ppg last season).  Furthermore, we could bring Wesley Johnson off the bench and have him play as more of a small forward (something he’s clearly more comfortable doing).

That’s all for now.  Stay tuned all year round for your latest TWolves news, information, updates and rumors.  Until then, thanks for reading and GO WOLVES!

A recent report from Jonathan Givony of Draft Express states that “If Minnesota keeps the (#2) pick and indeed selects Williams, sources say the Timberwolves will look to move Michael Beasley as they try to improve the ‘culture of the team.’”

As of right now the Timberwolves say the intend on keeping the pick and whoever they select with it.  Some suggest Irving could fall to the #2 pick as the Cavs have certainly shown interest in him.  

If Irving were to fall to the Wolves.  The most likely scenario is to trade Irving and in return receive a veteran big man.  Although, they could look to move finally-acquired Ricky Rubio, however that seems extremely unlikely as David Kahn has worked for two years to acquire the Euro-sensation.

Back to Beasley, if Williams does go to the Wolves and Beas moves to the block, there could be a few teams that come calling.  Possibly, the Clippers.  They’re looking for an upgrade at small forward next to budding-superstars Eric Gordon & Blake Griffin.  Though Givony suggests that Beasley may not be ‘the type of player’ they’re looking for.  Another possibility could be the Raptors as they’re looking for some talent.  The Raptors were actually one of the teams last year, who nearly acquired Beasley when the Heat were ‘giving him away’.  Yet another: the Bobcats.  They were another team that initially looked at Beasley when he was made available by the Heat and after stripping there roster of Wallace & Mohammed, Stephen Jackson could certainly use some help on the offensive end.

Obviously, if the TWolves grab Williams he would play the 3 (small forward), even though there’s been plenty of debate among scouts and teams whether he’s a 3 or 4 (small forward or power forward) in this League.

That’s all for now.  Stay tuned for all your draft updates and information pertaining to the Wolves as we draw closer to the June 23rd Draft night.  Also, remember to visit frequently for daily updates about your Minnesota Timberwolves all year long.  Thanks for reading and GO WOLVES!

The shooting guard position is a slot the Timberwolves definitely need some help at.  They currently have Wesley Johnson and Wayne Ellington on the roster, but they certainly need some help.

The following is a list of the shooting guard free agents.  Some of them have early termination options (player & team options), others are restricted free agents (any team that makes them an offer, can be matched by their current team) and lastly unrestricted free agents.

This is a look at all the possible shooting guard free agents and isn’t necessarily a list of a players that the Timberwolves need to target, but rather a list of the potential free agents and what they could bring to the table for Minnesota.

-Ray Allen (PO): Ray Allen is arguably the best pure shooter in the NBA!  With a player option for the championship-contending Boston Celtics, I think you can be almost 100% certain that he’ll be back with the Celts next season.  Hypothetically Allen would bring veteran-leadership and a dominant shot from any spot on the court.  Allen would be a HUGE acquisition for the Wolves, but he’ll be back in Boston next season.

-Leandro Barbosa (PO): Barbosa was traded this last offseason from the Phoenix Suns to the Toronto Raptors.  He has a player option for next season at over $7M.  He certainly wouldn’t be able to get that much in free agency and with the CBA lingering, I’d expect him to be back, north of the border next season.  Barbosa could bring a solid combo guard scorer as well as a good shooter, but a mediocre defender.

-Charlie Bell (ETO): Bell, a Milwaukee Buck before a trade along with Dan Gadzuric to the Golden State Warriors for Corey Maggette.  Bell is a veteran point guard with an early termination option.  It seems likely that he’ll stick in Golden State as a reserve guard.  With the CBA and his sub-par ‘10-‘11 season, he won’t be leaving the city by the bay.  

-Shannon Brown (PO): Shannon Brown has a player option to return to the Los Angeles Lakers next season.  Brown is a capable starter in the NBA, but has been a reserve now for quite some time, behind Kobe.  I’d say there is a good chance, Brown could decide to move onto another team.  If that’s the case, I’d hope the Timberwolves “come knocking”.  He’s an athletic young guard with a solid perimeter shot.  He’s a quick and capable defender and could be just the guy the Wolves could use.

-Arron Afflalo (R): Afflalo is a talented young scorer, currently a member of the Denver Nuggets.  Afflalo is the Denver starting guard and I’d expect him to remain just that.  Afflalo is a restricted free agent and as long as an offer from another team isn’t ridiculous, I’d expect the Nuggets to retain him.  However, to the Wolves, he could bring a sharp shooting touch and a go-to scorer (beyond Beasley) in the final minutes of a game.

-Nick Young (R): The Washington Wizards have two very talented young shooting guards: Jordan Crawford and Nick Young.  The Wizards have said that Crawford’s play won’t effect them re-upping Young.  Young made tremendous strides this season after Gilbert Arenas was shipped off to the Orlando Magic; he became the starting 2-guard.  Young is seen as nothing more than just a scorer, he doesn’t play defense, his primary weapon is his scoring.  The Wolves could certainly use another scorer, but his inability/”non-desire” to play defense would just hurt the TWolves.

-Jason Richardson: In a recent report, the Orlando Magic talked about the future of their current starting shooting guard.  J-Rich became the starter after the Magic swapped Carter and Gortat to the Suns for Richardson and Turkoglu.  The Magic have said that it greatly depends on the CBA as to whether they’ll even be able to offer Richardson a contract.  If the new CBA has a mid-level exception clause, they could potentially offer him that, but nothing more.  The Bulls have been a possible destination for the NBA journeyman as well who’s made stops in Golden State, Charlotte, Phoenix and now Orlando.  Richardson would bring veteran leadership, athleticism and a probably 15-20 points a night.

-Jamal Crawford: Jamal Crawford was left off the list for Hawk extensions.  Al Horford and Joe Johnson both got extensions and Crawford was vocal about hoping they could come to an agreement.  It could all depend on how far the Hawks make it this season as to whether he’ll be offered an extension.  Crawford is a great shooter who, like a lot of great shooters, doesn’t play great defense.  Crawford is a solid 6th man-type player, I wouldn’t be surprised if he hops onto another, better championship contender for a run at a ring.

-Mike Dunleavy: Dunleavy is a proven veteran who has struggled in recent years due to a variety of different injuries.  I don’t expect the Pacers to re-up the veteran shooter.  Dunleavy is just a role player at this stage in his career.  I wouldn’t be surprised if he ends up playing for a team like the Celtics or somewhere where he’ll get some minutes off the bench as a scoring punch.

-Sasha Vujacic: Vujacic was traded from the Los Angeles Lakers to the New Jersey Nets earlier this season.  He went from a deep reserve on a contender Laker team to a starter for a lottery bound Nets.  He, like most shooting guards is nothing more than a scorer and he’s “gained fame” for not even being a great scorer.  The Nets have basically said that he isn’t in there long term plans and most likely will not be back.  I could definitely seeing the Wolves making him an offer as a reserve guard off the bench for that scoring punch.  If not the Wolves, Vujacic will most likely sign with a team that isn’t of elite-caliber, so he can get some play time and contribute.

-Michael Redd: Michael Redd made a return to the hardwood after a long rehab on injuries and re-injuries for well over a year.  The lifelong Buck played in just 10 games last season, 18 the year before that and 33 the year before that.  He’s a good scorer with a solid all-around game, but there’s no doubt he’ll never be the player he once was.  The Bucks have said they have intentions to resign Redd to a contract, wanting to keep the lifelong Buck, a Buck for his career. 

-DeShawn Stevenson: DeShawn’s career has been resurrected since being traded two seasons ago from Washington to Dallas.  He’s the starter for the contending Dallas Mavericks.  I’m not certain as to whether he’ll be back with the Mavs next season though.  He’s a talented shooter and an capable defender.  He would certainly be a welcome addition to the TWolves.   

-Anthony Parker: Parker is a veteran shooting guard for the Cleveland Cavaliers, but I’d expect him to be on the move this offseason.  The Cavs are going younger and there are plenty of contenders who would be interested in his services.  However, Parker has said that he could potentially retire if there is indeed a lockout.  Parker won’t likely look to jump from the second-worst team in the NBA (record-wise) to the worst (Wolves/record-wise).  I could see Parker as a Bull, a Celtic or somewhere like that.

-Willie Green: Green moved from the Philadelphia 76ers to the New Orleans Hornets before the beginning of this past season.  He was the main guard off the bench for the Hornets and if split some time in the starting gig with Marco Bellinelli.  I wouldn’t be surprised, if he isn’t asking too much, if the Hornets decide to re-up the veteran guard.  He brings a solid scoring punch, defense and athleticism.

-Sasha Pavlovic: The former TWolf, Celtic, Hornet, Maverick, Sun and just about every other team.  Pavlovic is nothing more than a deep role player/bench warmer.  I wouldn’t expect any team to come looking to sign him this offseason as he’ll likely be a free agent signed to multiple 10-day contracts with multiple teams again.

Timberwolves fans had yet another season of turmoil this year as they saw their young squad lose an NBA-worst 65 games!  With just 17 wins, the Minnesota Timberwolves will have the best mathematical chance of grabbing the top pick in July’s 2011 NBA Draft.  They’ll have a 25% at that top pick, but that also means they could fall as far as the fourth pick.

Along the way to the NBA’s worst record, the Timberwolves had a few bright spots.

The first came in the summer, when they were able to steal away Michael Beasley from the Miami Heat for just a second round pick (it’ll end up being the 1st pick in the second round (31st pick) in this year’s Draft).  The Miami Heat were trying to clear cap space and they decided to give up 2008s #2 pick for practically nothing!  I remember last summer, hearing the Heat were looking to move Beasley for the best offer.  I remember really hoping that the Wolves would pursue a trade.  I remember hearing the Charlotte Bobcats and the Toronto Raptors were both interested, but ultimately decided against pursuing the “troubled” young forward, the Wolves picked him up and he was, without a doubt a valuable asset to this young team and should be for years to come.  A month or two into the season, there was a report that Michael Beasley was happy to be in Minnesota and hoped to get an extension in the future, so he could stay (below this section is a link to this story from my old blog: Michael Beasley Loves Minnesota).  At one point Beasley led the Wolves in scoring with 20+ppg but after a few ankle injuries his performance dropped off a bit on the offensive end and Kevin Love took that top scorer spot and never “gave it back”.  There’s no doubt he has talent, any Wolves fan can tell you the flashes of greatness they saw this season.  However, I think Martell Webster said it best (and I am paraphrasing) but he said something along the lines of, that until these young guys understand they don’t have to lead the league in scoring our team will suffer.  I highly doubt he was talking about a much more efficient Love, but rather, the “ball hog” (at times) Beasley.

http://codyandersontimberwolves.blogspot.com/2010/12/michael-beasley-loves-minnesota.html

 Another “bright spot” for the Wolves this year was Darko’s improvement at center.  The big man labeled bust for his first 8 years in the League signed a 4-year $20M contract with Minnesota last summer and this year, after he got into good conditioning he certainly made some steps forward.  However, he was quite inconsistent and seemed to lack confidence and determination while playing.  He started the season off atrociously, but after getting comfortable, he seemingly played much better and at one point GM David Kahn stated that he expects Darko to continue to improve and be a strong All-Star candidate in the future.  The 25-year-old 8-year veteran saw his performance drop off a bit, there would be most games when he’d contribute a bucket or two, a handful of rebounds and a couple blocks and other games where he’d erupt for 15+ points, grab nearly 10 boards and throw back a handful of shots.  However, the problem was that he consistently played awful.  At the end of the season press conference GM David Kahn stated that he wasn’t sure what Darko’s role would be next season, that all depends on him (Darko) and how much work he puts in this offseason.

A bright spot for the Timberwolves was certainly the emergence of Kevin Love.  The young forward was one of the few things Wolves fans had to boast about.  After living in Al Jefferson’s shadow (or at least, because of Big Al, he didn’t get a lot of PT) as well as the questionable relationship with Head Coach (for now) Kurt Rambis.  After trading away Jefferson to the Jazz this season, the Timberwolves and Rambis had no choice but to give Love extended minutes and he delivered big time!  A small note: during the offseason, David Kahn was looking at potentially trading away Kevin Love to the Golden State Warriors for Anthony Randolph, but Randolph was sent to New York in the David Lee deal and obviously came to the Wolves in the Melo deal.  Kevin Love saw improvements in nearly every statistical category this season.  Games: 60-73.  Games Started: 22-73.  Minutes per game: 28.6-35.8.  3-point %: 42%-47%.  3-point FGs: 35/106-88/211.  Total Rebounds: 658-1112.  Rebounds per game: 11-15.2.  Total Points: 842-1476.  Points per game: 14-20.2.  Assists: 136-184.  He was a consistent force for the Wolves every game out and always delivered.  His 64 total double-doubles and a record 53-consecutive set a new NBA record since the ABA/NBA merger.  He also made the all-star team.  He got the snub in the original voting, but the Commissioner David Stern chose him as the injury replacement for Yao Ming.  He also grabbed his first NBA rebounding title, beating out Dwight Howard and Zach Randolph.  He’s also the most likely candidate for the Most Improved Player of the Year award.  His 31-31 game against the New York Knicks was impressive as well as the first player since Moses Malone to have a 30-30 game!  He’s had a season to remember and at just 22 years of age, he’s only begun to reach his potential, he could be a real star in this League someday!

Yet another bright spot for the Minnesota Timberwolves was being able to grab Anthony Randolph away from the New York Knicks just before the trade deadline.  Corey Brewer and 3rd string Kosta Koufos were both a part of that deal.  Brewer was sent to the Knicks (and later waived and signed with the Mavs) and Koufos was sent to the Nuggets.  Randolph has shown some serious potential in his first 3 years in the League and this season when Love went down with that groin injury he saw a few starts and a big increase in minutes and he continually delivered.  Eddy Curry was also part of that deal that sent AR to Minnesota, but the Wolves waived him.

The Wolves have a good group of young talent.  With rookie Wesley Johnson, All-star Kevin Love, Michael Beasley & Anthony Randolph as well as a high draft pick this season and Ricky Rubio potentially coming over for next year, they’ve got a solid group of talent.

Sure, the Wolves have had some bright spots this season, but in a season with 17 wins, there are certainly a lot of things, we’d like to forget.  

The first of which was the inconsistent game of rookie Wesley Johnson.  There were games, especially against the Lakers (for whatever reason; he did get “mentored” in the offseason by superstar Kobe Bryant) but he’d be playing the Wizards and shoot a putrid percentage and score a handful of points.  His inconsistency really did hurt the Wolves.  When Brewer was still with the team, Brewer was competing with Wes for the starting job and for awhile Corey got the starting shooting guard spot because of his energy, which gave Wes some incentive to step up his game, after he was traded away he seemed to return to old habits.  

Another forgettable performance was Jonny Flynn’s season.  He returned about 25 games into the season after undergoing offseason hip surgery.  When he returned, he did NOT play well at all.  As some are calling it: “the lost season” of course this was a “lost season” for the TWolves as a whole.  Flynn showed small glimpses of being a capable point guard, but his turnovers, bad passing, questionable decision-making, weak perimeter defense and questionable shots all contributed to an awful season for the second-year player.  It’s almost certain Flynn has played his last game for the Wolves, with Ridnour, Rubio and potentially Irving (if the Wolves get the top pick) all in the “cards” for the Wolves.

The Wolves are a young squad, they’ve; like every team; had some good and bad, however in a season where you lose 65 games, the positives are certainly outweighed by the numerous negatives.

There will be more posts throughout the offseason from everything from CBA updates, transactions, offseason workout reports, noteworthy stories, player biographies and all other pertaining Minnesota Timberwolves information.  As usual thanks for reading and GO WOLVES!

The Minnesota Timberwolves stretched their streak to 12-straight losses tonight versus the Phoenix Suns tonight.  The Suns were led by big man Marcin Gortat, who scored 20 points and Brooks added 19 for the Suns as they downed the struggling Wolves 108-98.

The Wolves were again without Kevin Love who has now missed 5 of the Wolves’ last 8 games.  Darko Milicic was able to return and started for the Wolves after suffering an ankle sprain against the Heat, he was only able to play 10 minutes however.  Wayne Ellington, Lazar Hayward and Sebastian Telfair all didn’t play for the Wolves as a coach’s decision.

With tonight’s loss and Cleveland’s W over the Raptors, the Timberwolves have now dropped to the bottom of the League, tied for the worst record in the entire NBA!  This secures the Timberwolves a top 2 pick in June’s draft!

The Timberwolves got within two points 89-87 with less than 10 minutes to play, but an 8-2 run by the Suns, put the T’Wolves away.  The Suns led by 15 points early in the game, but it wasn’t until the final minutes that they were able to put away Minnesota.

Both teams shook up their starting rotations for tonight’s game.  The Timberwolves starting lineup featured- PG: Luke Ridnour SG: Wesley Johnson SF: Michael Beasley PF: Anthony Tolliver C: Darko Milicic.  The Suns starting lineup featured- PG: Steve Nash SG: Grant Hill SF: Jared Dudley PF: Channing Frye C: Marcin Gortat.

The Timberwolves were led by Michael Beasley who dumped in 24 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, added 3 assists and 5 steals.  Anthony Randolph came off the bench and in 28 minutes had 19 points, 3 rebounds and 3 assists.  Anthony Tolliver started at power forward and in 39 minutes had 10 points, 9 rebounds and 3 assists.  Wesley Johnson broke out of his cold-spell and went 4-of-13 with 10 points.  Martell Webster continued his solid play off the pine, with 13 points in 27 minutes.

The Phoenix Suns were led by Marcin Gortat with 20 points and 16 rebounds.  Aaron Brooks added 19 points and 6 assists in 26 minutes off the bench.  Grant Hill scored 17.  Hakim Warrick came off the bench and in 29 minutes scored 17 as well.  Vince Carter also came off the bench and had 12 points in 23 minutes.

The Timberwolves are back in action Saturday night in Denver vs. the playoff-bound Nuggets.  Tipoff is set for8:30pmCT from the Pepsi Center and a full-gameday preview can be found on this site before the tip.  Thanks for reading and GO WOLVES!